These French toasts are incredibly pillowy, lightly sweet and so satisfying. Top them off with your favorite garnishes and you’ve got yourself the perfect weekend brunch recipe!

Growing up, two of my favorite brunch dishes were thin, French-style crepes and French toast. I would always get so excited about the weekend, because I knew my mom would make either one of those delicious sweet breakfasts.

French toast had a particular special place in my heart though. Although I made crepes alone way before French toast, when I learned to make French toast & realized how easy it was to make and they quickly became my go to (and my mom’s too since she’s never been one to love spending lots of time in the kitchen).

My childhood French toasts were a bit different than these ones though... They were made with simple sliced white bread. This made the slices a little bit too soggy, something I realized in retrospect. That is why I made this specific recipe with thick crusty bread. You know the kind that has these gorgeous air bubbles inside. Yep. So good & absolutely perfect for French toast.

The key about making a successful French toast, is making sure that each of your slices of bread absorb a good amount of liquid. Don’t worry, if your bread is thick, it will not be too soggy. On the contrary, this will allow you to enjoy a lovely crunchy crust as well as a deliciously pillowy center.

Also, because I wanted to make a vegan version of a childhood classic, I used a mix of chia seeds and chickpea flour to act as the eggs. When mixed together with the other ingredients, the chia seeds and the chickpea flour will thicken your batter, just the way a regular egg would.

Another key tip I learned as a child is that we all end up drenching our French toast with maple syrup. Therefore, I kept the maple syrup in the batter to a minimum: 1 tablespoon.

A FEW NOTES ON THIS RECIPE

As mentioned earlier, I highly recommend a using thick rustic bread slices to ensure that your French toast does not end up soggy.

Also, feel free to use any kind of milk. I personally made this recipe with almond milk, but it would work just as well with soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk and even hemp milk. However, I would not encourage you try this recipe with full fat coconut milk as it might turn out too heavy.

In terms of toppings, have fun with them! Use whatever you have on hand. This French toast would be delicious with:

I hope you guys give this recipe a try and if you do, make sure to leave a comment below and let me know how you find it! Also, feel free to share this recipe or your creations on Instagram by tagging me (@muriellebanackissa).